If you haven’t read the previous episode yet, click here first.
1. The drive to the Hooker Valley Track
I was so sleepy on the drive from the airport to Tekapo…
So this is the legendary jet lag everyone talks about?
For the first two days, I got sleepy every single lunchtime.
Makes sense though — New Zealand is 4 hours ahead of Korea,
which basically meant my body thought it was still morning.
At first, I thought we had packed our itinerary way too tightly,
but in New Zealand, where the sun doesn’t set until around 9–10 PM,
it actually turned out to be the perfect schedule.
The only disappointing part was missing Clay Cliffs.
It had rained the day before, and the roads were considered dangerous,
so the trip was canceled.
(And apparently… really dangerous.)
As of January 27, 2026, the Hooker Valley Track was only open up to Track #1.
We took our time, had some snacks inside, enjoyed the scenery for about two hours,
and honestly… the views were unreal.
The spot marking the end of Track #1 on the Hooker Valley Track.
2. Before heading to Hooker Valley, we stopped by Alpine Salmon!
And honestly?
I’m not even a huge fan of salmon sashimi.
There’s usually this distinct salmon smell that throws me off a bit,
so I wasn’t expecting much at first.
📍 Mt Cook Alpine Salmon
Lake Pukaki Information Centre, Pukaki 7999
Just type the address into Google Maps and you’ll find it easily —
plus, the parking lot is massive.
And the scenery in front of Alpine Salmon?
Absolutely insane.
We bought two packs (200g each),
and the moment I took the first bite, I knew this place was different.
There was none of that strong salmon smell.
Just insanely clean, buttery flavor.
Dip it in soy sauce and wasabi, take two slices at once…
and somehow the whole pack disappears instantly.
Apparently the salmon species is different here,
and now I completely understand the hype. Highly recommended.
3. Finally hiking the famous Hooker Valley Track
We somehow managed to save one pack
so we could eat it later at Hooker Valley.
And yes… the model was looking amazing too~
We pulled over near Mount Cook, parked on the roadside,
and went for a quick walk.
Perfect weather, unreal scenery, great photos…
and meanwhile, I was slowly getting roasted alive under the sun.
I definitely applied sunscreen.
But somehow I still got completely tanned —
with sunglasses marks perfectly stamped onto my face.
4. Road-tripping from Hooker Valley to Wanaka
After wrapping up the 2:00–3:30 PM part of the itinerary,
we headed toward Wanaka and decided to stop in Twizel for dinner.
We arrived around 5 PM,
but nothing really caught our attention at first.
So naturally… we trusted Google Maps and picked a highly rated restaurant.
📍 Fishtail Restaurant & Bar
We ordered tandoori chicken, chicken curry, and garlic cheese naan,
and wow… every single dish was incredible.
When we ordered the curry, they warned us that it could be quite spicy,
so we played it safe and chose the regular spice level.
But honestly, even for someone like me who can’t handle spicy food very well,
it wasn’t spicy at all — just incredibly flavorful and easy to enjoy.
If you’re someone who gets tired of rich or creamy food quickly,
ordering the spicy version might actually be a great choice.
After grabbing a coffee to go,
we hit the road again toward Wanaka.
And along the way,
we got to enjoy the stunning scenery around Cromwell.
New Zealand is famous as one of the filming locations for
The Lord of the Rings,
and honestly, it felt like I was driving through scenes straight out of the movie.
Everything looked so unreal that the entire drive felt magical in a way.
Because of that, I never really got sleepy while driving —
if anything, the scenery made the journey even more exciting.